On top of that, in section 520 the median price dropped fron 646K to 449K. Wow.

In Seattle, every section also saw a decline in sales,except one which held steady. the declines were from -4.7 to -41% in the 8 sections.
Two Seattle sections had YOY median price drops. One was from 439.9 to 439. The other from 339K to 325K.

P.S. – Would you all mind clicking “Other” instead of “Anonymous” when you comment and at least put in some name? It’s hard to know who’s who when there’s 6-12 “anonymous” comments in every thread. Thanks.

MLS# 26049357

Wow, condescend much?

Judging by this weekend’s openings, there are approximately 0 matches for those criteria, at least for me. Maybe your idea of “easily afford” is different than mine. Anything over $400K would stretch my wife and I past the ability to put aside any other savings, visit my relatives, or afford decent health insurance.

It shows that the median price has fallen in 3 areas. The areas are hard to determine precisely because the map’s really dorky but 2 are in Seattle proper and one is on the East side- looks like right over the 520 bridge between Bellevue and Kirkland.

In city Seattle, one area fell from 339K to 325K. The other, from 439,900 to 439K.
On the east side, from 646,675 to 449K (yes, that’s right, a 30% drop from March ‘05 to March “06).

Just getting started.

Homes are for life and living. Period.

Those are some of the ingredients that will allow buyers a bit of market fluctuation insulation and peace of mind when they buy. If you are purchasing to live in a home, if you are like me, it’s tough to get emotion out of the transaction. If someone purchases for an investment, then it’s business and numbers and strategy.

If people research the micro-markets in Seattle and vicinity (ie, Queen Anne property vs Ballard vs. Capitol Hill vs. Bryant/Greenlake or others) know what they can afford, are patient and get good financing squared away, you should be fine.

With so much information available to consumers (you can find out what property has turned over in a short period of time, lagging on the market…to those that are the best condition/price in the area)nowadays it’s difficult to be at a disadvantage.

In a changing market, be patient and you are bound to be in a position of bargaining strength sooner or later.

Remember, a healthy chunk of people are busy at work and life and following the real estate market is not on the radar–rightly so since they are “in for the long term.”

What’s different about our existing bubble? Blogosphere. I wish we had it in 1989-90. Would have saved me some mistakes. Today,we all can see the market shift unfold on a swift basis, in front of our very own eyes. Wasn’t so before.

Do not take my word for it. Do your own research.

The MLS list in Seattle is highly manipulated.

Properties are taken off and reassigned new numbers, pictures, etc. and presented as “New on Market!!!!”

Properties are sold for 10’s of thousands to 100’s of thousands under Original Asking Price. You will not hear about that from the realtors in Seattle.

You will only hear about the handful of properties that went over asking.

From this point on, if you over-pay for a Seattle property, you have no one but yourself to blame. No whining allowed next year when you find the property you bought this year has now been devalued and you are “equity negative”.

It is very easy to discover the truth about the Seattle market by simply following any MLS list diligently for a couple of months.

If you are relying on a Seattle realtor to inform and educate you on the Seattle market, you are not taking resposibilty for your own future financial well being.